It was often compiled to use the native Linux framebuffer device as output.

There are three applications of the Linux framebuffer.

A Linux framebuffer console differs from a VGA one only in ways of drawing characters.

There is now a library DirectFB which provides a framework for hardware acceleration of the Linux framebuffer.

The Linux framebuffer (fbdev) is a graphic hardware-independent abstraction layer to show graphics on a computer monitor, typically on the console.

SystemRescueCD is capable of graphics using the Linux framebuffer option for tools such as GParted.

Usplash uses the Linux framebuffer interface or, alternatively, direct VESA access to display the splash screen.

The Linux framebuffer device was developed to abstract the physical method for accessing the underlying framebuffer into a guaranteed memory map that is easy for programs to access.

The two most common "virtual" framebuffers are the Linux framebuffer device (fbdev) and the X Virtual Framebuffer (Xvfb).

The current implementation uses Mesa-solo to provide OpenGL rendering directly to the Linux framebuffer or DRI to the graphics hardware.

Links has graphics driver for X Server, Linux framebuffer, svgalib, OS/2 PMShell and AtheOS GUI.

The Linux framebuffer (fbdev) is a graphic hardware-independent abstraction layer, which was originally implemented to allow the Linux kernel to emulate a text console on systems such as the Apple Macintosh that do not have a text-mode display.

The word framebuffer means a part of video memory containing a current video frame, and the Linux framebuffer means "access method to the framebuffer under the Linux kernel", without relying on system-specific libraries such as SVGALib or another user space software.

In non-Windows systems, the use of SVGATextMode (or alternative options such as the Linux framebuffer) to obtain a sharp text is critical for LCD monitors of 1280x1024 (or higher resolution) because none of so named standard text modes fits to this matrix size.